Kirby said, [relevant remarks being around 3:30] “She’s absolutely the right choice, and Secretary Kerry has the utmost trust and confidence in her ability to do this job. I think it’s important to remember that she’s been a career diplomat for several decades, appointed under Republican and Democratic administrations. In fact, her most recent one was under President Bush in the late 2000s. So, I mean, this is a career diplomat, lots of experience. The secretary knows that she has the leadership ability to change and to enact reforms. And the other thing is, look, guys, it’s not prohibited for federal employees to contribute to political causes or campaigns. I don’t think we want to live in a democracy where you can’t do that. And she admitted herself that made this contribution after she had retired from federal service.”

Kirby added that the donation wasn’t mentioned at Jacobs’ announcement because “it’s not relevant. There’s no prohibition against doing that kind of thing. She did it when she was retired. And, more importantly, she’s the right person for this job, because of the experience that she has, leading large organizations, and enacting reforms and change, and that’s what we want her to do here.”

He also pointed to Jacobs’ “career, over so many decades, under both Republican and — Republican and Democratic administrations” to show she’s “balanced.” When asked how much money she gave to George Bush, he answered, “I don’t have that kind of information, and again, it’s not relevant.”